ASA censures Ministry of Sound school uniform striptease TV ad

The Ministry of Sound has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for using models dressed in school uniforms to perform a striptease in a campaign for a mobile download.

The TV ad featured extracts from a music video by HTwoO, which portrayed men and women dressed in school uniforms dancing in front of a school. One of the women performed a striptease, wearing a lacy red bra and pants under her uniform.

Two viewers challenged whether the ad, shown at 8am on a Sunday and 4.30pm on a Thursday, was appropriate to be shown when children could be watching. The ASA ruled that the content was sexually provocative and, though the music video was not specifically targeted at children, it was broadcast at a time when a high proportion would be watching.

The ASA has also upheld complaints against a TV ad for Unilever’s Sure for being irresponsible. It showed three women dancing in a moving car without seatbelts on.

The deodorant ad was created by McConnells Advertising and broadcast in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Unilever withdrew it after 24 complaints.

Meanwhile, the regulator has not upheld a complaint against a circular for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) showing a caricature of the KFC icon Colonel Sanders. The copy said: “KFC Cruelty. The Colonel’s recipe includes live scalding, painful debeaking, crippled chickens. PETA KentuckyFriedCruelty.co.uk.”

The ASA ruled that it understood these were PETA’s concerns about animal welfare and as a result would be unlikely to offend.